In a new development, China has been setting up a new military logistics hub in Xigatse region of Tibet, amidst the ongoing border standoff with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as per reports.
As per reports, this was revealed by new satellite imagery, which showed that China was undertaking infrastructure development, enhancing connectivity in Xigatse to further its operations. An open-source intelligence analyst (@detresfa)uploaded the images on Twitter. The satellite images discovered a military support building, surface-to-air missile site, fuel dump, a new railway line and a terminal.
Infrastructure upgrades south of Xigaze Airport, #Tibet show the aerodrome being linked to a rail terminal, possibly developing it into a future logistics hub for #China #PLA, additionally spotted nearby is a new suspected underground facility that warrants further monitoring pic.twitter.com/AeiqbxumVV
— d-atis☠️ (@detresfa_) January 11, 2021
Besides, the images also captured an underground facility, comprising of two tunnel entrances. According to security analyst Sim Tack, the facility could be used for storing missile systems. As per a report in Hindustan Times, Tack emphasised that China is undertaking massive infrastructure upgrades in Tibet along the LAC, starting from Aksai Chin to Arunachal Pradesh.
New structures coming up everyday, say experts
Tack said, “All of these logistical upgrades, including the construction of rail connectivity and utilities, appear to be aimed at quickly moving large numbers of forces within Tibet and from other parts of China to Tibet.” Sim Tack pointed out that while China had earlier been upgrading its forward positions in Aksai Chin region, the new satellite images provided evidence of the development of logistical facilities. He added that new structures are coming up every day in Tibet, many of which are concentrated near Golmund in Qinghai province.
The Communist regime in China is also planning to extend the railway line from the Xigatse railway station all the way up to Nepal for the rapid movement of its military hardware and troops. Reports had also claimed that China has also been setting up villages in uninhabited areas along the disputed borders with Bhutan and India.
Expansonist policies of China
While China denies being expansionist, the country has actually been inventing new territorial claim against other countries. At the 58th meeting of the Global Environment Facility Council last year, China tried to oppose funding to a project for the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan claiming that it was “disputed” territory. China claimed this despite the fact that there is no history of dispute over the area, and the Wildlife Sanctuary is located far away from China-Bhutan border.
In fact, areas of Arunachal Pradesh lies between the border and the forest area. Bhutan had strongly opposed this claim by China, and other countries also supported Bhutan in the matter, but China still insisted that it should be recorded that China had opposed the funding. Similarly, China has started a new dispute with Russia over Vladivostok, the Pacific port city in eastern Russia. Chinese officials slammed Russian embassy officials in China this week for celebrating 160th founding anniversary of the city, saying that the area originally belonged to China.
Chinese diplomats, journalists, and internet users launched an online attack on Russian embassy officials on Weibo and other Chinese social media sites, just because the Russian city belonged to China centuries ago. The Primorsky Krai territory and its capital Vladivostok were part of the Qing’s Manchurian homeland but was annexed by Russia during the Tsar empire in 1860 following China’s defeat at the hands of Britain and France in the second opium war.
